CARVE

One fishing trip to lake Greeson two years ago, I picked up a “beaver stick”.  The water was high and it had been deposited with others on the shoreline.

It caught my eye for a couple of reasons. First I noted that it was nearly twelve feet long. A very long length for a beaver stick.

Then, since the bark had been stripped, it was easy to see that it was a hickory, definitely not a preferred bark meal for a beaver.

I picked it up and began to ponder all of the odd things about the long, straight, hickory stick.

Eventually, it wound up at home, sitting in a corner of the living room, curing out.

Next year while at home, I cut it off to a length that suited me, for a hiking stick, carrying it sixteen thousand miles in the Kawabunga truck’s bed.

Full length view.

The hickory stick is cured and very hard to carve.

This year, Candy is carving a face in to the handle end. Though it is a slow process because of the wood’s hardness, the nose is beginning to show.

Carvin’ Candy !

Woo Hoo ! Lookin’ good !

Candy’s current work, in the much softer Bass Wood, tentatively called “Zombie Guy”, because he has no eyes at this point.

This photo was taken about a month ago and it now has much greater detail.